Gut samples from four white grub species, namely Annomala dimidata, A. beghalensis, Holotrichia longipenis, and Holotrichia seticolis, were collected from their respective habitats. Adults were carefully dissected under aseptic conditions, and the gu

In this study, we employed comparative 16S metagenomics analysis to investigate the gut microbiomes of four white grub species inhabiting the North-western Himalayan ecosystem. The 16S ribosomal RNA gene, with its conserved and hypervariable regions, serves as a reliable marker for bacterial phylogeny and identification. Utilizing 16S rDNA amplicon metagenomic sequencing, we sequenced samples from each species using the NovaSeq PE250 platform, which offers high throughput and sequencing quality. Following data processing, including quality control and denoising, we performed species annotation, abundance analysis, and diversity metrics to characterize the microbial communities. Our results revealed distinct microbial compositions among the four-grub species. Further analyses including clustering, taxonomy classification, and differential abundance analysis using edgeR and LEfSe provided insights into the functional potential and biomarkers of these gut microbiomes. This study enhances our understanding of the microbial diversity within these ecological niches and underscores the importance of employing advanced sequencing techniques for comprehensive microbiome analysis.